(NOTE: A Round Robin fic is where one person starts off, then other people add on their parts as the story progresses. The total amount of people that are working on this project are: Washer, Silth (Vail), Beastbot, JW% (JaggedWing), Skycat, Enforcer, Architeuthis, Mirai_Cyborg17 (Hailblaze), Hitchhiker, Mako, Scaleblade, JEDI, Skidz (Skidplates), and Matrix3. Also, an ARGO Conquest looks somewhat like a jeep, with tank treads instead of wheels. This part of the fic is rated PG-13 because of violence. Hope you like this fic!

 THWAP! Enforcer threw an alien attack dog into a ditch. Beastbot scanned over the smoldering, wet battlefield, remembering the sharp CRACK of lasers and the awful chatter of machine guns.
 "Glad that's over...," Beastbot said to himself. He bent back over, changing a bad component on Washer.
 "Beastbot, I never knew you were a medical type," Washer asked as he re-attached his arm.
 "Uh, Vail taught me a little bit about it." Beastbot replied. All of a sudden, Beastbot stood up and held his head.
 "You OK, Beastbot?" Washer asked.
 "I'll be fine. It's just.... all that gore..... and Vail.... nevermind." Beastbot sat back down, working on Washer's reactor. He snapped two wires together, then put Washer's chestplate back on. "There you go, good as new." Beastbot helped Washer up.
 "Thanks. I'd better go help Enforcer clear the X'Katiel aliens." Washer picked up an alien warrior. "Hmmm....." Washer stared at the blades on the alien's arms.
 "Interesting species...," Washer thought. The alien moved in his arms. "Whoa!" Washer dropped the body.
 "Gastem! Adum to re dos!" The alien sputtered, struggling to stand. Washer stepped back.
 "Guys! It's ALIVE!" Washer yelled. Hitchhiker looked over at the slumped alien's body laying on the ground.
 "Washer, no it's not." Hitchhiker looked back at the alien. "Washer, it's dead." She said, tending to Hailblaze. Indeed, the alien was dead. A large hole the size of  a basketball protruded out of its stomach.
 "My mistake." Washer picked the alien up again. He hauled it to a hole Enforcer had made for the dead aliens. Inside, a collection of arms, bodies and weapons dripped and smoked. Washer heaved the alien in. When he turned around, an alien attack dog was four inches from his face!
 "AHHHHH!" Washer swung a fist, knocking the alien dog out of Enforcer's hands.
 "HAHAHA!You guys should have seen his face!" Enforcer picked the dead hound's body up and threw it in the pit.
 "That's not funny." Washer scowled at the army green robot.
 Beastbot had just completed his repairs on Skycat.
 "Ahh. Feels good to be awake again." Skycat transformed into her winged beast mode. "I'll make sure no one's watching us," she said, flying off.
 "OK, I'll work on Matrix." Beastbot kneeled down beside Matrix's battered form. "Man, you saw some action," Beastbot said to himself.
 "Skidplates!" "Help me out with this one, would you?" Beastbot asked.
 Skidz was sitting on a rock. He turned and sneered. "I got stuff on my mind." Skidz turned back around.
 "Fine. I'll do it myself, then," Beastbot started mumbling, drilling a few screws into Matrix's legs.      Hailblaze was up and ready, shaking hands with Hitchhiker. Hailblaze noticed Jake, who was leaning on a fallen tree.
 "Who's that?" she asked grumpily.
 "That's Jake. Skidplates brought him back here during the fight," Hitchiker replied. "Help me out with Scaleblade." The two of them began to repair the younger robot's internal mechanics. Washer and Enforcer gathered up most of the alien warriors out of the trenches, clearing paths. Enforcer uncovered Ed's body.
 "Skidz, man! Can you take this guy over to Beastbot for me?" Enforcer yelled to the still silent Skidplates.
 "Why can't you?" Skidz said rudely. Enforcer walked over to the robot's back.
 "What's got your circuits in a knot?" Enforcer asked, leaning over on the smaller robot's shoulder.
 "Get off me!" Skidz swung his body around, knocking Enforcer back.
 "Hey, I don't feel like busting you up, so chill," Enforcer said, getting angry. "If Vail were here...."
 "Yeah, if Vail were here," Skidz interrupted. "It's all my fault.... If I wouldn't have gotten side tracked with that.... nevermind." Skidz turned back around, away from Enforcer.
 "Well, if you're just going to sit here, try and build a campfire. It's going to get cold out." Enforcer abruptly turned, hauling off another alien body.
 If only I would've gotten back in time....., Skidz thought.

 Matrix: Shouldn't you be taking care of the seriously injured?

 Beastbot: They are being taken care of. Anyway, I am done with you, so just rest a while.

 Matrix: I don't need to rest.

 Beastbot: Don't be stubborn and do it.

 Matrix: I'm not being stubborn. I just feel fine.

 Beastbot: You're probably in shock.

 Matrix: I am not in shock, and besides, I think the others need help with the alien bodies.

 Beastbot (after a moment): Oh, all right, but just take it easy.

 Matrix: Whatever you say, Doctor Beastbot.

 Beastbot: Knock it off.

 Skidplates burned with fury at himself as he trudged through the gore and carnage which decorated the once pristine snowfield. His thoughts, his shame, tore at him like wild, slavering beasts.

 "Another...I've..failed another. Jag is gone...practically..my fault..Nightblade..my love...and now Vail...I'm like a horrible plague..all who I touch, who I dare to know, crumble to ash at my deathly touch."

 "'Chaser..JEDI..Maybe you're in a better place now..a place where I can't harm you."

 Like the automaton he had become, Skidplates bent over, seizing the bloated, bloodied corpse of a demon dog and hurling it into a slimy, muddy trench already filled nearly to the brim with horrors.

 "We...did all we could..." The fused mind, the bizarre conglomeration of human and cybernetic minds, finally spoke. Skidplates could feel his last vestiges of humanity slowly draining away, melding into a new, and entirely different type of mind...a mind wracked with terror and suffering at one moment, then as placid as an small pond the next.

 Slowly, mental balance was being achieved, but Skidplates knew to his core that the fight for his sanity would be a long and arduous journey.

 "But at least...now..we're on the same side...," he reassured himself. For his logic, his naturally reasonable mind, was functioning like a salve, healing the red, bleeding wound of madness that had been ripped across his former alter-ego's mind.

 Suddenly, Skidplates spied...Jake, was it?..seated on a rounded onyx stone some paces away. He was clutching tightly his unusual staff, and eyeing them...with..distaste..and a slight measure of fear.

 "He..isn't like me. He hasn't embraced the neural net," realized Skidplates. "The majority of them haven't..and I can't say I blame them. After the things I've been through, though, a slight case of madness, as I feel now, is the preferable option."

 Suddenly, Skidplates spun, a psionic lance slashing through his reverie...a glimmer..of consciousness? His high-end sensors had detected a mental spike, an almost miniscule increase in electrodynamic activity..but a sign, none the less.

 Their sparks still burned...but..with the X'kateil abounding..he needed help to save the displaced souls.

 Hitchhiker was busying herself with dragging the scores of mutilated corpses toward the burial pits, as Skidplates quietly approached. She seemed to be fast growing bored..but, after all, transporting tons upon tons of dead biomatter could do that to a person.

 "Pardon me?" he asked tentatively.He hadn't had any previous contact with her..but, then again, she, too, seemed to distance herself from the group.

 Catching her attention, he continued,"I'm sure the others here can handle the clean-up detail..and I myself have just discovered something quite interesting."

 "So...are you in the mood for an adventure?" Skidz continued after a brief pause.

 To his surprise,her face seemed to suddenly light up.

 "Say..." 

 The battlefield was more than halfway cleared. All of the 'bots had been repaired, and were working on cleaning up. Most of the alien weapons were still scattered about the plains, most still functional. Archteuthis noticed this and thought of a way to make them useful. She gathered five of the weapons that weren’t damaged, then sat down to work on them. She had gathered pieces of X'Kaetil encounter suit and other computer chips, making each weapon into a turret. After she built all five turrets, she programmed their memory to fire on any non-human or animal life form from earth. (Robots aren't considered life forms)
 After setting the frequency to a power of five, she randomly placed the turrets around their new camp/base parameters. Washer saw her place one at the outer rim.
 "Hey Architeuthis! What ya doing?" Washer called out. His shout got the attention of Skycat and Hailblaze.
 "I'm making us some defensive auto guns, Washer," she replied, shoving the last gun into the earth.
 "Need any help?" Washer asked, giddy to get a new job.
 "Sure. Why don't you gather some more weaponry, and some micro-computer chips," Architeuthis yelled back.
 Scaleblade noticed that Skidplates and Hitchhiker were gone.
 "Hey guys!" "Where'd Skidz and Hitchhiker go off to?" Scaleblade shouted.
 "I dunno. Scout patrol, I guess," Hailblaze replied, just after returning from her scout patrolling.
 "Well, they didn't tell me," Enforcer grumbled, heaving two dead bodies into the ever-growing death heap.
 "Who made you boss?" "Since when did we have to tell you what were doing?" A few 'bots asked.
 "Uh, because," Enforcer sharply said, picking up another dead body. The leg he was holding came off. "Grrrrr..." Enforcer looked at the single leg in his hand. Ed quickly picked up the alien and handed it to Enforcer. "Thanks."
 Meanwhile, Washer had gathered eight functional guns, along with a micro-computer chip for each of them.
 "Thanks, you can stop gathering weapons and chips now." Archteuthis said, busily working on an autogun. She finished one, handing it to Washer. "Take this and put it at the right end of the trench. When you get back, put this one on the left side," Architeuthis ordered Washer.
 "Yes, Ma'am!" Washer saluted her and took the weapon. After Washer managed to place the weapons where they should be, the trenches were well defended. Three more autoguns sat atop the trenches, three feet apart. Another two guarded the back end, while the last sat atop a rotten log.
 "Hey, good idea!" Ed said, admiring the guns. "I wish I could think of things like that!"
 "No kidding. Way to go, Architeuthis!" Skycat added.
 "That should be enough," Washer said. "If the aliens try to sneak attack us, we'll know it."
 "I suppose we ought to locate Skidplates and Hitchhiker," Scaleblade reminded everyone. "I'll go look for them."
 "You don't have to, Scaleblade.We could send Hailblaze or someone else," Matrix said.
 "Hey!" Hailblaze crossed her arms.
 "No, I'll go. I gotta check in with Thuntor anyway." Scaleblade transformed into her gigantic dragon form.
 "OK, have fun," Ed said, waving goodbye.
 "I'll start up a fire. Looks like a cold one tonight." Enforcer aimed his pulse laser at a nearby piece of driftwood. Once he fired, the wood set on fire with a blaze of heat.
 "Haven't you ever heard of rubbing sticks together, or a piece of flint and steel?" Skycat asked.
 "Yeah, but that was quicker." Enforcer's eyes actually lit up, as if he was grinning. Even when he was happy, he looked mad, though, with his scowling Depth Charge-like mouth. Jake stumbled over an alien body on his way to the fire. The sun had dropped below the ocean in a glory of orange and purple light. Finally, it was night time.

 JaggedWing sat there, watching JEDI’s form. She had stopped glowing and floating, but now seemed quite lifeless. His tactile scans showed that she was still operational so he at least had hope.
 Suddenly, she sat up again, looking around.
 "'Morning again," JW% said in a somewhat less-than-cheerful voice.
 "Humph," was pretty much the only response. She seemed rather annoyed. "Now will you tell me where I am?"
 "As near as I can tell, this island is volcanic, and has a maze of lava caves just under the surface. It looks like an avalanche broke through the top layer and spilled down here. Or more exact, up there." He pointed up. "I heard your distress call, but I ended up one level too low, so I cut a hole in the roof and brought you down to me. The snow came with you, so I put up this force field and thermal field to protect us. Now can I ask a question?"
 "Why not."
 "After you passed out again, I noticed some kind of vibration. Turns out that the Sirie were trying to hunt this place down. I lead them on a merry chase, and finally had to fight. When I got back, you were glowing, like a spark had entered you. Kinda like Waspinator in the Beast Wars ep, 'Possession'."
 "That would probably have been, JaggedWing, but who are the Siry?"
 "Sir-ie. They are a bunch of big bug critters. These happened to be two-legged, four-armed, with nasty claws on the top pair of arms, some cyborg parts on them too. Armed with some kind of EM pulse rifle. They also had something like bug hell hounds helping them track. Vail? What happened there?"
 "The aliens. Mako called them the X'Kaetil." JEDI's eyes glazed over for a half second. "Vail says that they used hell hounds topside too."
 "Whoa, slow up there. Mako?" JW% said. "Well, why not, everyone else is here. Next thing you know, Blackbird, Ivy, Stormcloud, or even Jen herself will show up. (Editor's note: Blackbird, Ivy, and Stormcloud also are regular comers to the BWA forum. Jen is the person who upkeeps the forum.) Okay, this is creating more questions than it is answers. Run this by me one more time, Vail is... what?"
 "From what she and I have pieced together, dead."
 "Pardon? You're not communing with the dead, are you?" Something faint brushed him, and he once more felt odd.
 "No, I don't quite get it, but she some how traced down to me just as she was blasted, and now she is stuck in my head." As she talked, the feeling became more and more powerful. It was like some one was trying to force a thought on him. It was just the opposite of when she had tried to read him. Just as she finished talking, he pulled his gun on her.
 "I... said... don't... do... that!"
 "It isn't me." She brushed the wavering gun barrel away from her face. "Vail, stop." The feeling faded again. "He doesn't like it when you try to Sight him. I don't know why that is, nobody has ever even noticed it before, let alone had an allergic retain to it."
 "Look, I don't like psi stuff, I don't need psi stuff, and I will rather destroy something that uses them on me. For the last time: DO NOT DO THAT."
 "Okay, okay, she was just trying to talk to you."
 "She can talk through you, or to someone else. I said, don't do that. Okay, she is stuck in you for now. Bummer. I kinda liked her body; not that yours is a disappointment, either."
 "What?" JEDI said, without much humor in her voice. JW%, however, didn't even break verbal stride.
 "Speaking of your body, did you figure out why you collapsed on me like that?"
 "No. How am I supposed to know?"
 "Can’t you run a self diagnostic?"
 "How do I do that?"
 "Think about your body, and you should see a readout on your visor."
 "I don't HAVE a visor."
 "Oh, uh, aren’t you seeing some readouts around your field of view?"
 "No."
 "Why not? I am."
 "Obviously, I'm not like you."
 "Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't have been so affected by the cold."
 "What is that supposed to mean?"
 "I'm in a Beast Warrior body. Beast Warriors are Transformers. Transformers can stand the coldness of space. You got chilled by a little snow."
 "A LITTLE SNOW?!? That was a whole bloody avalanche!"
 "Still, you should have been able to take it."
 "An avalanche is not something you can just take! I've been in one before..."
 "In this body, or your human one?" he interrupted.
 "My human one!"
 "Then it doesn't count. I've been doing a lot of things in this body I doubt I could do in my human one. For one thing, I can fly."
 "So can I!"
 "Yeah, I noticed. Nice wings. Although winged cats are kinda cliché in transfandom."
 "Cliché?!? What do you think..." Her eyes glazed over again. "Vail says we should stop fighting."
 "Okay. Where were we before we were fighting?"
 "Shush, I know that." Then JEDI's thoughts turn back to JW%. "My injuries."
 "Right. You are in a U. S. Beast Warriors' body, right?"
 "What other kind of body could I be in?"
 "I'm in Beast Wars Neo slash Second. You could also have made up a new design. At any rate, have you tried the onboard computer?"
 JEDI looks at him for a second, then shrugs. "Why not. Computer, self diagnostics."
 "Power system at seventy-five percent. Right leg servo motors are off-line. Gyros unable to compensate. Flight mode also off-line until air foil units return to working order."
 "Ouch. Bummer. I can fly and you can’t."
 "Shuddaup."
 "Sheesh, trying to lighten the mood gets me what? You know I'm not in too good of shape either. One of those hell hounds tore my beast mode up pretty bad, the EM pulses shorted out some of my secondary systems, and basically I got slashed up pretty good."
 "You can still fly."
 "Yeah, I am still better off than you, but you'll heal."
 "I can hardly walk," JEDI said bitterly.
 "Where you going to walk TO? Look around. We are in a ten-foot pentagram. I can hardly stand up, let alone walk."
 "I could leave."
 "Not until we're both healed you can’t. I'm not taking down the force field."
 "We should probably check on everyone else topside. Vail says they took the fight pretty bad."
 "What fight?"
 "I don't know. I fell down here before they had it.... oh. The fight that Vail died in."
 "You know, I don't think I like this turn of events."
 "You think I'm enjoying it? You think Vail likes to be dead?"
 "Okay, from the top. I assume that I put out the fire."
 "Yes."
 "Okay, I put out the fire, the force of water caused a cave-in and a mudslide. I somehow managed to get myself trapped in this underworld. From the forest fire; what happened?"
 "Skycat, Scaleblade, and I had homed in on the fire. We joined Vail, Archesomethingorother, Hailblaze, and the rest. We fought some of those aliens and then Mako found us as we were regrouping. He was the one that started the fire, by the way."
 "That fire wasn't natural anyway. I don't care if Mako has a flame-thrower, the forest was soaking wet from the storm the night before, he should not have been able to start such a blaze."
 "What storm?" She made a dismissive gesture. "Anyway, he did, and then he took over our group." She paused, and JW% nodded for her to go on. "He led us into the mountains, claiming that he could put us back in our human bodies. The aliens kept attacking us. Mako is crazy, he wants to wipe them all out."
 "Can’t say I blame him. Not that he could, though. Sirie nests sometimes span entire dimensions."
 "He doesn't think they are Sirie. He says they are X'Kaetil."
 "Could be the local name for them. They might just be a small hive of them. If that is the case, he might be able to wipe these 'X'Kaetil' out. As long as they are just a small local hive, we don't have to worry. At any rate, Mako led you into the mountains."
 "We camped in a cave for the night, and Mako left us with some guy to keep an eye on us. I scouted farther ahead and the avalanche hit..." JEDI paused for a while, as she seemed to be having an internal discussion. "The very tip of the avalanche hit the rest of the guys. Skycat and Scaleblade had brought back Scaleblade’s mentor, Thuntor, just in time to be caught in it. They again regrouped and Skidz went off to find me. The aliens took that time to attack for real. The other fights seem to be simply scouting parties compared to this. They came with those attack dogs and all. They weren’t cyborg, but there was at least a hundred of them. Fortunately we... uh... they... uh... Vail and the rest, had some cover, and they managed to defeat most of them. Vail doesn't know if she was the only one to die or not, but she took out the alien's leader, so she thinks that at least some of the group survived."
 "And basically, we are back to here," JW% finished, and slumped back. It was just one of those days. Come to think of it, it has probably been just one of those weeks. He counted the days... at least five, maybe six or seven. He started to wonder if anyone from home was worried.
 "Yeah, I need to get her out of my head somehow."
 "As long as you keep her out of MINE. We both need to heal up. Do you feel hungry or thirsty? I could melt some snow if you want something to drink."
 "Yeah, I am a little hungry. You?"
 "Naw, I already ate. You want me to get you some?"
 "Sure, what is it?"
 "Some of those dead aliens." She looked ill. "What? They were a little spicy, probably because of the acid in their blood, but they weren't that bad. Probably would have been better if they had been cooked, but between their armor and their fighting back, I didn't really have time."
 "I don't feel hungry any more," she said. "In fact, now I feel a little sick."
 "Oh.... sorry."

By the time Skidplates reached the base of the mountain, his servomotors ached beneath his synthetic flesh. For the majority of the icy slope, he'd had to haul Hitchhiker's serpent mode, wrapped around his feline form...it seemed that her reptilian body functioned highly poorly on the craggy, cold slopes.

 "Urk...," Skidplates gasped, as he finally padded into the verdant, grassy field. The jagged cliffs above cast an ominous shadow over what would have ordinarily been an idyllic scene. Silently, Hitchhiker slithered from her position on Skidplates' back, and quickly disappeared into the high grass.

 "Excuse me?" asked Skidplates, attempting to be as reasonable and calm as possible...he didn't even want to comprehend the mayhem that might ensue if he once again flew off the handle.

 "I...believe that we have a mission..do we not?" he continued, as he quickly shifted into robot mode.

 "And I have a quest...," responded Hitchhiker's voice, its source shrouded by the wild mass of plant life.

 Skidplates, for the umpteenth time, felt an extraordinary need to throttle Hitchhiker. All the way down the mountain, all she'd rambled on about was her "holy quest", and how she had an ultimate mission to fulfill...involuntarily crushing him in her coils at the same time.

 "Sigh..we're on a mission to find Vail...and Windch..JEDI...they're not gone..I'm convinced of it! But I need help..the last time that I tried to search for anyone, I ended up being stuck with Duran's little pet..." Raw scorn burned in Skidplates' voice. "..as well as a swarm of bloodthirsty insects. So..that's why I truly need your assistance."

 He attempted to refrain from saying..please. In vain.

 "Please?"

 Hitchhiker was suddenly shamed. What was a holy quest without holiness and virtue? Why did Pellinore fail his first quest, though he had found the object he was looking for? He had failed to help someone in need.

 "I can try to help, Skidplates, though I don't know if I will bring sorrow or joy to yourself and those you seek. Which way?"

JaggedWing and JEDI sat in silence for a while, each thinking their own thoughts. JaggedWing, wondering how much longer they would be on this island, and JEDI, berating herself for getting caught in the avalanche.
 JEDI *In her head*: "I just wish I could have been there to help. It's my fault that Vail's dead, and possibly others. Others! What If they DID die? What if I let them slip through my fingers? What if--"
 Vail: "Will you stop moping?"
 *Silence*
 JEDI*Sadly*: "And why should I? It's my fault you're here, and if any of the others died and didn't make it like you did..... I'll....I'll..."
 Vail*Angrily*: "FOR GOD SAKES, CUT IT OUT!! You're doing yourself no good sitting about and making false accusations! To tell you the truth, I don't mind being dead one bit! I'm glad I'm gone!"
 JEDI: "Well, that’s fine for you to say, but what about the rest? What if they died? Do you think that they will be as thrilled as you are to be dead?"
 It was Vail's turn to be silent.
 Vail*bitter*: "Nobody else died."
 JEDI*mocking*: "Oh, and how do you know, oh great and wonderful 'leader'?
 Vail*in an almost inaudible growl*: "NEVER CALL ME THAT!!!!"
 JEDI*in an even more vicious tone*: "What? Leader?"
 Vail*outraged*: "STOP IT!!"
 JEDI*mockingly, though shocked*: "Why?"
 Vail*in a horse whisper*: "Someone like me does not deserve the title."
 JEDI: "What did you do? Were you weak like me? So weak that you were stopped by a snowdrift from coming to help? So weak that you nearly died of a mere avalanche?"
 Vail*still whispering*: "I left them in a middle of a battle."
 JEDI: "What's so very evil about that?"
 Vail: "Dying when your friends need you is a crime, which I shall never forgive myself for committing!!! It's like defection, only ten times worse!!! You can't even begin to imagine what it's like!!!"
 JEDI paused. Then, tentatively....
 JEDI*frightened and curious*: "Vail?"
 Vail: "What!?"
 JEDI: "What....is it like......death....dying, I mean..'"
 Vail: "I would not wish it upon any creature on the earth."
 JEDI: "What?"
 Vail: "It was the most terrifying experience of my life!"
 JEDI: "Describe it to me....I mean.."
 JEDI was suddenly aware of the bluntness of her question. But then, to her surprise and Vail's...
 Vail: "Well..... it's like your whole world is being sucked into an endless abyss. They say there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but I was being pulled away from it......"
 JEDI, her intense curiosity getting the better of her, finally asked: "Start from the beginning....I mean...when it happened.......er...ummm...if you don't want to talk about it I'll just..."
 Vail: "No, no...... it's okay.....I...remember being near Enforcer. We were fighting...and I pulled one of the dogs off of him and shot it. Suddenly....another one popped up and shot me..."
 JEDI: "Did it hurt?"
 Vail: "For a moment, yes. But then it was just replaced by a sort of dizziness. I remember looking down to see a huge hole in my chest with smoke and my own mech fluid pouring out. I just sort of stood there... Then everything swirled around and went black..."
 JEDI: "That's it?"
 Vail: "HARDLY! I remember hearing voices. They were really near me. Then I heard some sort of gibberish, followed by the most evil, bone chilling voice in the world. Something about going in peace. Then I heard Hailblaze.....and....Skidz nearby arguing. I felt tired, and I really wanted to just go to sleep, but something made me sit up. I don't really remember what I said, but right in front of me was the leader of the attack force. When I saw him, I lost it. I pulled out my pistol and fired shot after shot into him. Even after he fell over, I just couldn't stop firing.....then, I got really tired again. I remember the pistol falling from my hands. The terrifying thing was that I couldn't hold it anymore. I knew I should be able to, but I couldn't. Then it came to me, and I suddenly realized that I was going to die. Skidplates came over and asked if I was going to be okay. I told him no, and I told him to take care of Enforcer. Then everything just want sorta dark. I heard someone scream. All of a sudden, I was in this long round tunnel. The sides were impossibly smooth. I was standing really close to a doorway, which a light was coming from. I could hear people inside crying. I tried to step forward towards it. But then someone said, 'We'll bury her back at camp.'  The whole tunnel went on it's end, and I fell backwards into the darkness. I remember screaming, 'I'm sorry.....'  I fell into this pool of translucent green water and started sinking further and further to the bottom. I could still see the light, and I screamed out and reached for it. I couldn't breathe, and was about ready to give up. I remember feeling cold and afraid... I finally drowned, I guess. When I woke up I was here......and, well...."
 JEDI: "It....it sounds awful."
 Vail: "It was. Now I need to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."
 JEDI: "How?"
 Vail: "Stopping the X'Kaetil."
 JEDI: "Alone?"
 Vail: "No. We find the others."
 JEDI: "You're.....you're just like Mako!"
 Vail: "WHAT?"
 JEDI: "All you want is power! All you ever care about is yourself! You're just a coward who’s afraid to admit it!"
 Vail: "I am a coward. I'm not afraid to admit it. I ran away from them. They needed me!"
 JEDI: "They needed me too! Don't you think that I'm suffering? But no! All you talk about is your own pain, your own terror!"
 Vail: "JEDI...I.."
 JEDI: "GOOD NIGHT!!!"

 JW% watched as JEDI rolled over and curled herself tight. She obviously was in a rather bad mood, and something had just upset her more.
 "You all right?" he asked.
 "Fine. Good night," she muttered, curling tighter.
 "Good night? You just woke up. And I've been going for at least two days with only cat naps. I don't think I even need sleep anymore. Of course, I thought that when I discovered coffee during mid-terms too, but that is another story."
 "Are you trying to be funny?"
 "Looks don't count for everything," he quiped with a smile.
 "Knock it off. I'm not in the mood."
 "Well, aren’t you just a wonderful traveling companion? Sheesh, next time I'd rather stick with Skidz. Sure, he seems to have an evil rage-filled second personality inside him, but at least he knows how to take a joke."
 "I've just got a crabby, self-centered egotist in my head."
 "Oh, give her a break. Yeah, okay, so she is not too happy. I wouldn't think anyone would be. I have no clue what she has gone through, and from what you said, she DIED up there. Okay, so it was near death, but that still has to be traumatic. Just cut her some slack, and cut yourself some too."
 "Myself?"
 "Yeah, I can see pretty clearly that you are taking this too personally. I doubt it is your fault. Just let it go, you can’t save the world twenty-four seven."
 "I never..."
 "Shush, I know I'm not going to solve any of your problems simply by talking to you, but you might solve some of your problems by relaxing a little. Don't take life seriously, you will never get out of it alive." She turned to look at him, and he caught something on the corner of her lips. "You're trying to hide a smile."
 "I am not." It was, of course, gone.
 "I don't blame you. Smiles make people look stupid. The point is, you don't have to be happy to act like it and get along with others. Look, if the others are in any trouble, we couldn't help them even if we knew about it. Just let it slide and hope for the best until we CAN do something about it."
 He sat up, assuming the lotus position. He needed something to keep her busy, otherwise she would slump down into self-pity again. "Now come on, Vail is in your head, right? She was like some kind of medic or something. I'm sure she would have something that would help us heal faster."
 "Like what?" JEDI paused, and once more had a quick talk with an internal voice. "She can’t think of anything either. Just fuel, replacement parts, and rest. She says that she doesn't even know anything, it just kinda comes to her when she is faced with some problem."
 "Hmmm. Yet another second set of training or instincts. I wonder... JEDI, sit up and turn around, I want to see your leg."
 "What for?" she asked, doing so cautiously.
 "Well, between my amateur masseur skills, my neophyte medical skills, my extensive transformer knowledge, and whatever obviously came as a package deal with this body, I might be able to get you running again." He reached out and touched, his tactile sensors on full, taking in the texture, heat, radiation, chemical composition, and many other bits of data on her body.
 "Are you sure you know what your doing?"
 "Not at all. Now keep talking to me, I need to know if what I'm doing is helping." He gently began to massage her leg. Gentle pressure applied along the nerve endings.
 "I don't feel anything, and your hand is moving too high. My ankle is what is hurt, not my thigh," she said with limited humor.
 "Sorry." He moved back down to her ankle. "Just testing the circulation."
 "Yeah, sure."
 "Oh, give me a break, it isn't like I was getting a cheap feel. We are robots, for crying out loud. I doubt we even can do much of anything." Multiple fanfictions had told otherwise, but he kept quiet on that matter. No one ever trusted fanfiction anyway.
 "Can you honestly say that with a straight face?"
 "Sure." He started to apply minute magnetic and gravimetric forces to the inside of her leg.
 "With your mask open?"
 "Um... no."
 "You quit touching me, right now." She started to pull her leg away. Strangely, it was feeling better.
 "Oh, all right." They sat awhile, before he could come up with anything more to say. "You sure you don't want anything to eat?"
 "Let me guess, bugs are the only thing out there."
 "Well, yeah. Fruit doesn't grow too well underground."
 "No thanks."
 "I would think that your beast mode would like meat, even carrion. And Vail's would jump at it."
 "I said, no."
 "Okay, okay, but I'm getting myself some more. I only got a couple of mouthfuls when they practically jumped down my neck. Nasty little bookers, but they should keep well in the cold." He got up to leave. JEDI suffered another quick internal talk.
 ~Oh, come on, you need to eat something, and be logical about it.~
 ~I die of acid, and you die too.~
 ~We need to recover, so we can get out of here. Besides, you don't know how powerful the acid is; it might not hurt.~
 ~All right, I'll try, but if I die you had better not haunt me... anymore...~
 "Jag..."
 "Yeah?"
 She stood up and transformed to beast mode. "Let's go."
 "You're going?" JW% asked, surprised. Then he simply decided to pick up the ten generators that formed the pentagram. If they were leaving, they might as well not come back. The generators had started to overheat from the constant use, but none of them had blown out. The force field was no problem, but he could feel the drop in temperature when he deactivated the thermals.
 "You sure you can take the cold?"
 "As long as I don't get buried again, yes."
 "Okay. You feel you can handle the acid?" He had little doubt, but she had for a while, so he felt he should ask.
 "No."
 "But you still want to eat?" Now he was confused.
 "Yes."
 "Why?"
 "I need the energy to heal. I wonder... computer, divert power from all weapons on weapons array, save laser turrets, to automated repairs." Oh, she was going to push herself. Well, maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn't.
 "Why didn't I think of that? Oh, well, shall we go to the café, my dear?"
 "Yes."
 "Want me to lead?"
 "Yes."
 "Made up with Vail yet?"
 "No."
 "You should try to. Think we are going to be spending much time talking?"
 "Yes."
 Well, he planned to prove her wrong in this case.
 "Is your leg feeling better?"
 "Yes."
 JW% felt quite a surge of pride there. He didn't know if it was the massage, or the internal tampering he did, or even if it was his fault, but it had improved.
 "Are you going to tell me what you meant by 'I could leave' later?"
 "Yes."
 "You going to answer any question I ask with 'yes'?"
 "Yes."
 "You're doing this just to annoy me, aren't you?"
 "Yes."
 He let out another sigh.

 "They're on the move..."

 Skidplates spoke suddenly, startling Hitchhiker from her brown study.

 "You...can sense them?" she asked, unsure. Strive as she might, her own sensor systems couldn't scan worth a bit.

 "Yes..I feel..the energies of their..sparks." Skidplates paused for a moment, gazing at the cold, unforgiving cliffs before him. "It..it must be JEDI..the resonance..the attitude..holds true to her..and yet..something's..changed."

 "Computer-initiate high-intensity heat scan-definition-maximum." Skidplates' visor flared a bright shade of crimson, ever so briefly, then darkened, as did his demeanor. Slowly, his body slumped..his posture dejected..defeated.

 "I..." His voice was a harsh whisper, filled with guilt. "I almost..had them."

 Architeuthis surveyed the gun turrets with satisfaction. Not a bad job, if she did say so herself. Her programming apparently included at least some basic engineering skills, which would doubtless be useful. It would certainly help her make amends for her earlier, boneheaded idea to follow Mako and help fight the aliens.
 Why had she suggested that? At the time, it had seemed logical; they had just fought a group of hostile aliens (a scouting party, she now suspected), and Mako had shown up, telling them that there were MORE hostile aliens on the march. He had also claimed he could get everyone's human body back, and he had told them that the X'Kaetil planned to use those bodies as hosts for their offspring. At the time, going with Mako to retrieve their bodies and stop the X'Kaetil had seemed like a good idea.
 She had also hoped that the group would be able to keep an eye on Mako/Duran, and perhaps curb his worst excesses. She had been pleased when she saw Mako and JEDI talking; it had been her hope that prolonged contact with one of them would somehow reawaken Mako's true self, and lessen Duran's dominance. For all she knew, it might have been working. If Duran had sensed a weakening of his control over the body he and Mako shared, that might explain his sudden departure. She had also hoped that she, Vail, and maybe one or two others would have a chance to get control of the technology that was obviously on this island, or at least keep it away from the aliens.
  Instead, what had happened? Mako had left them in the mountains, telling Jake to watch them; Jake was obviously the Scorponok to Mako's Megatron. Then JEDI had been killed in that avalanche. Then a hundred aliens had attacked and Vail had gotten killed.
  The worst part was, that based on what she'd known at the time, she couldn't see herself deciding any differently. And it was only small comfort to know that the others had not had to agree with her; they could have told her "no". Enforcer, who had more reason to hate Mako than anybody, could have made kalimari out of her. But nobody had objected to her idea, so off to the mountains they went.
  And now, two more of them were dead...
  A shout distracted her from her brooding--something about Skidz and Hitchhiker being missing...
  "Oh, that's just great. How are we supposed to FIND them?!"
  She was beginning to understand why poor Vail had insisted that everyone stay together. On the other hand, there could be a perfectly harmless reason for their absence; they might have decided to patrol the area together or something. If that was true, then they deserved credit for being smart enough to go out together, rather than one of them going alone. On the other hand, if they ran into trouble, they'd have no way to call for help.
  Maybe she could do something about that...
  On "Beast Wars", the characters had used comlinks for long range communication. Maybe all she had to do was access her comlink and call to them, hopefully before they got too far away.
 That, of course, was assuming she HAD a comlink.
  "Computer. Inventory this unit's communications systems."
  Her internal computer gave a visual readout of what she had. There was no accompanying audio component; she had disabled it, reasoning that it would make it too easy for an enemy to target her. She had also programmed the internal computer to give the text in English. There was nothing in the text about her having a comlink; obviously, she didn't have one, then.
  Fine. Great. Could she make one? She had engineering and science programming, she could access tools from subspace, and she had plenty of spare parts, thanks to the aliens.
  "Computer, display schematic of personal communication device."
  Architeuthis carefully studied the readout. Yes, that looked doable. Now she had to find the right parts and circuitry.
  She had begun removing circuitry from a dead alien's encounter suit, when Beastbot approached her.
  "What are you doing? Don't you think eight turrets are enough?"
  "I hope they are. Anyway, I realized that my body does not come with a comlink, so I thought I'd try to make one. If it works, I'll make more for the others."
  "I don't have a comlink, either. How about making one for me, and we can try them out?"
  "Sure."
  "By the way, are you hungry? I brought some meat."
  "Where'd you get it? I don't recall seeing any grocery stores here."
  "I cut it off one of the aliens; I'm afraid that's all we've got."
  "No problem. Good thing my beast mode's carnivorous."
  "Same here."
  The two sat down and began eating the alien's flesh.
  "I didn't know you were a medic, Beastbot. I read your fics awhile ago. Wasn't your character a bounty hunter?"
  "Yeah. But think about it; he was an independent, at odds with both Maximals and Predacons. Because of that, he had to learn something about self-repair. So, I have programming about self-repair. I applied that, plus some stuff Vail taught me, to repairing you guys."
  "Good work. And thanks--for both the repair and the meal."
  "No problem. Let me know when you're ready to test those comlinks."
  "Sure...if I ever am; they're more complicated than guns."
   And with that, she returned to her work.

Skidplates was slumped on a small boulder, his position still displaying a heavy exhaustion..but it seemed that the cloak of doom that had so recently hung over him was lifting.
 "Hitchhiker...," he began, while tapping the side of his helmet with a finger..sliding the finger carefully along..as if..searching for something..some hidden mechanism.
 Hitchhiker turned from where she perched, seemingly running a similar test upon the slick, sheer cliff face.
 "Yes?"
 "Have you any..scanning systems of your own?"
 "I've been trying to access them...I could swear that I did, but I simply cannot access them." Her tone displayed a heavy bit of annoyance at herself.
 "And..,"  she asked, facing him, "...what are you doing..the same..no?"
 "Exactly...Duran wouldn't have built us without some means of our coordinating our actions..he wasn't so great a fool as that.."
 Hitchhiker detected an unusual bite of scorn to her companion's voice..perhaps a hint of the berserker that Vail and Enforcer had supposedly witnessed first hand.
 She suppressed a sudden chill. We all have a dark side.., she thought. The potential for evil..and yet..I can see none is this one..he's escaping the sins of his past..but..oh! Her thoughts were disrupted, as the cold within her became far more dangerous..more frightening.
 "Dark...portents..," she breathed, sitting suddenly upon the pile of deformed rubble which littered the cliff base.
 Her vision swam..a red haze floating before her eyes, and obscuring, for a moment, her vision..and her sight..her other sight, the mental view which she had, for so long, held.
 Skidplates eyed her with what seemed to be concern. She could almost swear that emotion was visible upon his seemingly expressionless face.
 "You're..a prophet..aren't you..," he began, almost gently.
 "How did you..."
 "I knew a prophet once.." His tone was now hard... it had a firm undercurrent to it.
 Hitchhiker, as she recovered from her sudden malaise, again had the distinct feeling that another was speaking through Skidplates..not the young man whom she'd noted, when this saga first began...nor, the madman which others supposed him to be.
 He continued, slowly..and his words drew a spike of tension within her.
 "...and prophecies don't lie."

 "M'Lord, we have them confined to the cold regions. Shall we pull back?"
 "No."
 "But... our people are cold- and dry. They're dying out there."
 "That does not concern me. We need only to have the breeders survive."
 "Of course," The warrior lowered his tone, "my error."
 "What of Duran?"
 "We have not seen him among the intruders."
 The alien's face contorted slightly. "Then he is already among us."
 "What?"
 "Personnel sweep, now."
 The other alien activated a small device on his upper left arm. A small screen folded out- across it, a stream of numbers went by.
 "Well?"
 "M'Lord, I.. I.. several divisions of troops are not responding!"
 "Duran," the other alien said, his voice as cold as liquid nitrogen.
 Suddenly, a huge explosion shook the foundations of the base. Bits of rock and lose bolts rained from the ceiling, just before a column of fire erupted from one of the walls.
 And, from the fire and smoke, a single form stood.
 "Well, well, well," the alien activated its voice box, "How nice of you to bless us with your visit, Duran."
 "A voice box, eh? I should have known the Dathi would have sold scum like you technology," Mako responded, blasting away two X'Kaetil guards with ease.
 "Actually- they refused. So we stole it instead. The fools never pursued us."
 "No matter," Mako smirked, "No amount of alien gadgetry can save you now."
 "Oh no?" the alien motioned his guards to attack as he stepped back to a small vault built into the wall. Mako shrugged off the fire from the aliens, blocking most of the damage with a Psi-shield. From the sides of his arms, Mako withdrew two small, Frisbee-like disks. Charging them up with energy, he let them fly. The spinning blades of death cut down the X'Kaetil where they stood before finally impacting on the wall and shattering into pieces. Looking through the haze of gore, however, Mako could see a new figure. Much like his own.
 "Surprised?"
 "An encounter suit," Mako glared, "one question- how?"
 "Easy. My host... was human. A female child of 12, captured on the Kdora Raid."
 "Filthy worm," Mako tried to probe the alien mind, but felt mid-level shields protecting it, shields strangely human in psi-resonance. "You think this... cheap excuse for Dominion technology can save you?"
 The alien activated the helmet, which unfolded exactly like Mako's. "Let's find out what gifts my host left me."
 Roaring with rage, Mako exploded with Psi energy. Finally... something snapped. The ground shook as blue-laced psi energy streamed from Mako's body, carving cracks and smashing dents in the walls and ceiling.
 "REVENGE!" Mako screamed, lunging forward at his waiting foe, "TODAY, I FINISH WHAT MY PEOPLE BEGAN!!!"
 "You dare speak of vengeance?! Murderer!"
 The once and future X'Kaetil noble, imbued with the twisted heart of a demon, roared at Mako, raw fury burning in its voice.
 Its gauntlets crackled with raw, violent amber energies-the creature's fury transformed into deadly reality.
 Mad with anger, Mako slammed into the waiting form. Gauntlets burning with power, Mako thrust forward, raking the alien's helmet with blows. Caught off guard, the alien fell back, bringing a knee up to connect with Mako's face. Bringing his hands up to block, Mako braced himself for the inevitable psi-attack. A crack of thunder broke the silent air as a massive wave of blue energy tore into the air around him. Racing forward through the haze and flame, Mako crashed, elbow first, into the mocking alien.
 Slamming the alien's back into the cave wall, Mako felt the rock and metal buckle in front of him, as a visible shockwave coursed through the structure, leaving behind only a cracked and broken shell where a wall once stood.
 "Feel the legacy of my host, human. I have gained much through my birth." The alien lashed out with its mind, psionic energy blazing out from the encounter suit, striking everything around it.
 "Hahaha!" The armored alien screeched with an unatural laughter, as Mako fought with all the training of his youth to defend against the seemingly random carnage around him. Never, in years of servace to the PsiCouncil had he experienced such an attack. "Now..you see..the true power of the my race... unleashed!"
 Daggers of flame tore through Mako's armor, faster than his defenses could compensate. He felt the caustic bite of pain against his raw flesh as his armor was charred away... bit by bit.
 "You see...our power has only grown...our fusion with these pitiful mammals has given us that which we so desire... what nature itself saught to deny us- the might to tear past your technology... into the purity of your hated Dominion from...."
 The creature paused in mid-rant...and suddenly, violently, convulsed. "What...wahaarraghhh!" As the X'Kateil's concentration shattered,so did its web...violently. Mako was struck full on,and hurled back,slamming into the slick mud.
 "Attack the problem at its source," Mako looked through vision hazy from pain, "and victory is yours. Too bad the concept is beyond your limited alien intelligence. But I expected no less from the filth of the Parah Sector."
 Getting to his feet, Mako charged with power, he watched, as the X'Kateil fell to its knees... screaming. The Psi attack had shattered the creature's concentration. The very nerves of its brain flashing without pattern or logic- only random madness.
 "Idiot." Mako glanced over to the incuating aliens behind him, that were, even now, beginning to emerge. No matter. He had already been careful to secret off the human bodies where they would be safe and ready for transfer. The two divisions of alien guards had been easily eliminated.
 "Frail little creatures,aren't they? I suppose it's a surprise that your little Dominion failed to eliminate them completely." A voice, rife with dry, bitter humor, cut the air as a shadowed form emerged from the flames.
 "Another fool." Mako made a fist. "Fine by me."
 "Now, now, friend...I'd expect such paltry banter to be above one of your 'stature'."
 The newcomer continued to speak, as his form was revealed...Mako instantly realized his error..this creature was hardly an X'Kaetil in an encounter suit.
 "Duran, Duran, have you sunken so low as to wallow in the mud with alien trash? I though you above physical exertion."
 Beneath the playful, bantering tone was a cold undercurrent of menace...
 With a snap of his amber-armored wrist, the newcomer raced forward and seized Mako by his encounter suit's shoulder blade, hurling him back, where he slammed, with violent force, into a nearly molten hunk of wreckage.
 Flames of rage boiled within him...
 "How....dare..you..strike..me?!" Mako growled, rising slowly to his feet, his body suddenly a fiery instrument of destruction. "Who the HELL do you think you ARE?!"
 All of his anger unleashed...his inhibititions torn away, Mako ripped forth with a tremendous blast of psi force, its full might aimed squarely at the black-robed, mocking stranger.
 "I think the question is, who do you think YOU are?"
 "I have had it with you!" Mako, no, Duran, burned with fury, speaking in deep breaths, "I have HAD it with aliens on MY island. Had it with fools standing in my way."
 The stranger paused, then continued, "Now, foolish child...you see my TRUE power! My masters shall no longer abide in your ridiculous little fiefdom, that pathetic mass of rabble you dare dub a Dominion! Final judgement...is at hand!!"
 "That so? Too bad." Duran looked around. "I really liked this lab."
 And the figure knew, from the blazing heat in the room, what Duran was planning.
 Duran finally reared back in a silent scream as the sir turned from red hot to white. No sounds filled the air save the shredding of rock and the death of literally millions of atoms as the very air convulsed, strained, and finally exploded in an orgy of pure, unadulterated heat and power. With nary a warning, Mako's world was filled with fire... an all-consuming, unforgiving storm of fire and death.

 Once he was to the area where the X'Kaetil corpses were, JW% set up his generators to make low tables, and he set some microwave generators to cook some of the meat.
 The two of them tore into the corpses. The acid was so slight that they hardly felt it, but JEDI knew that feeling a poison was not the same as drinking it.
 They divided their work into three piles. One for the meat (that was set to cooking), one for the unidentifiable, or unusable stuff (mostly chitonous armor shards, but some odd organs and some smashed cybernetics too) and the final, smallest pile, for cybernetics that were possibly salvageable.
 JW% tried many times to restart a conversation, mostly on questions about possible functions of either the unidentifiable stuff or the salvage. Her responses were limited, some times only avoiding the question and not answering it.
 Finally, JW% looked over at the strip of meat that he had suspended in the heat ray and decided that it was done. He opened his mask and tried a bite.
 "Not bad, but not really good either. Little on the dry side, and could use some sauce. Here, you have some, cooking it obviously took most of the acid out. It might still be a bit tangy, but it shouldn’t hurt you anymore then, say, a pineapple's citric acid." He offered her the strip.
 She took it and tried a taste. It was far from good. His cooking skills were not to blame, bug meat was simply not very tasty. Still, proteins and other chemicals were needed for energy, or materials to build spare parts. She ate it before the next piece was cooked.
 JW% tried to be her taster for the first few times, and the acid levels did vary from part to part and from beast to cyborg, but only once did they go above safety measures, and that was in an odd organ. They tossed that part out.
 Soon, they had finished off the small troop.
 "Not much meat on dem bones, was there?" he said, with his accent played up. Then he dropped into something more serious. "Of course, it really wasn't on their bones, but in it. Anyway, are you feeling better now?"
 "Not much."
 "Eh, well, I think we need to let it digest. You want to try to figure out what some of those parts can be used for?"
 "Why not?" She slid back into her robot mode as she shifted position. She had been in robot mode for the dexterious work, but other than that seemed to prefer her beast mode.
 They sat before the pile and examined the circuits and other interesting items.
 Most of it was tossed into the pile of useless stuff. It turned out to be wet ware, and had died with its host body. Some of the stuff was readily identifiable, like the voice box only the leader had, but not really useful. JW% started putting those in his pocket for later use.
 Finally they came down to things that they couldn't figure out. Odd crystals, and other strangely shaped stuff.
 "What do you think this thingy is?" JW% asked, holding up what looked like a processor, but was made of an odd material his scanners couldn't identify. "It was in the leader's brain."
 "Looks like a Psi amp."
 "What's that?"
 "It amplifies psi."
 "I could figure that out. I meant what is it?"
 "A device that amplifies brainwaves."
 "No... what is it made out of, how does it work, that sort of thing."
 "Not sure, really."
 "Okay, how about what is it used for?"
 "I told you..."
 "No, what was SHE using it for? They didn't seem to have any kind of mind powers at all. Sirie only have mind powers in the upper echelons anyway, and they are usually guarded at the center of the hive."
 "Maybe this let the folks upstairs talk to this guy."
 "Hmmm. Like a TK PA. Good idea." A chilling thought came to JaggedWing that if that were true, then the leader of this unit had reported to his superiors without his knowledge. He pushed the thought from his mind. "Okay, what do you think this thingy is?" JW% felt a tingle.
 "I don't know."
 "You're doing it again." It started to fade.
 "What?"
 "That sight thing. Wasn't too strong, but it didn't feel good. Don't do it."
 JEDI had, however, turned her attention inward before he had finished.
 "Vail says she's sorry. She also says that thing is a styme patch. It was hooked to the glands and would supplement their body chemicals."
 "Then this little thing right here," he pointed a claw at the container for one chemical that was not to be produced by the wet ware, "Must be the poison they injected themselves with. Goes right into the brains. Works fast."
 "Um, did we eat any of that?"
 "Yeah, I did at least. I picked up some of that chemical when I was eating. I'm fine, it wasn't enough to hurt me, and it seems to break down after a few moments anyway.
 By the time we got to it, it was harmless."
 "Oh."
 They sorted through the rest of it, the three of them sharing their knowledge, but still tossing a lot of it that was simply unidentifiable. JW% even took some things that were only partly identifiable, just in case.
 He slipped the last object, part memory chip, part unknown, into his pocket and looked up.
 "Now what?" JEDI asked.
 "Well, we've rested, so we are more repaired than before, but I'm still not one hundred percent, and I doubt that you are either, so we either sit here some more, or we wander the caves and try to find a way out."
 "Let's go," she said, getting up. Her leg barely bothered her. It still hurt, but it could hold her firmly again.
 "Wait." She rolled her optics and sat back down. "Where do we go? I can think of three exits, one I would have to dig through sand and dirt, the other I can’t fit through, and the last I would have to blast though a lot of snow."
 "That's you."
 "Probably you too, unless you can teleport. I'm saying let's stay here and think about where we are going to go and what we are going to do when we get there." He crawled over to the pile of useless stuff and started to absentmindedly play with a bit of chiton.
 "Well, I'm all for seeing the exit you can’t fit through."
 "It's underwater."
 "There has to be another way out."
 "Maybe. But it could take a while to search for it." He dropped the chiton and changed position again.
 "Fine, let's search."
 "That still leaves the question of what we do once we get out. Now, I'm perfectly willing to wake up from this dream right here and now, but I don't want to go wandering around and getting bored."
 "We can try to meet up with the others, of course."
 "That would work great, if we knew where they were. They probably think we are dead."
 "I'll find them."
 "There you go again, taking the world on your shoulders." He reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. She brushed it off. "Hey, wait, you're not supposed to be asymmetric, are you?"
 "No, why?"
 "Your wings aren't lining up quite right."
 "They're fine."
 "How do they feel?"
 "They hurt. They've been hurting since I fell."
 "Does transforming make them hurt worse?"
 "A little."
 "Why didn't you tell me?" He shifted around behind her and reached out again. This time she didn't brush him off, and he started to use his tactile scanners on her back and shoulders.
 The wings were definitely off. Something was wrong with them.
 "Brace yourself, this might hurt..." He applied pressure. As much pressure as he could. Something popped. She let out a slight hiss of pain, and the world exploded in front of his face. A little while later he came to. She was standing over him.
 "What happened?"
 "I slammed my head back into your face."
 "Oh." That would explain the lights flashing in his mind’s eye, and why his optics read damaged. It did, however, bring up another question to his mind. "Why?"
 "You hurt me."
 "Oh, sorry."
 "You did manage to pop the wing back into its joint, however. It is working again."
 "Okay."
 "It still hurts like nobody's business, and your claws left marks."
 "Sorry again."
 "Well, let's get out of here." She transformed and walked off down the tunnel. He switched to sonar, packed up all his portable generators, and followed her.

 He stood there, face to face. Man to man.
 Duran smiled politely as he neatly fixed his collar. He was in full uniform, pins and medals in full display across his chest. His suit was navy blue, with barely visible streaks along the sides. From the shoulders and arms, a formal cloak flowed to very nearly meet the ground.
 Mako looked him over quickly before turning to face his own fate. He was in fairly casual clothes.    Loose jeans, and a black T-shirt with "Jets" across the chest. Both men stood almost the same height, with Duran having about a half-inch advantage over his "creator".
 "This is some mess you got us into, Duran. Remind me again why I wrote you into my fanfiction."
 "Even I cannot fathom your thoughts, my friend."
 Mako exhaled. "Feh. Dead. I can't believe this."
 "Hmm."
 "What," Mako retorted, cracking a sneer, "Nothing to say for yourself? I can imagine going out in a blaze of glory suits you just fine, but I DO have friends I wanted to see again. I bet my brother's on my computer right now- messing up MY desktop."
 "Can't you just write us out of this mess or something?"
 "No. I tried. I write, but nothing substantial happens. Heck, I don’t even know where we are."
 Duran looked out to the cell across the hall. In it, two figures were fighting- pounding each other with fists and feet.
 "At least we're above such... base behavior."
 "Quite." Mako crossed his arms. "I'd loathe to be in such a ...desperate state."
 "So then," Duran sat down on a nearby bed, "How ARE we going to get out of here?"
 "Excuse me, but where would we go? We're dead, remember?"
 "Anywhere is better than nowhere."
 "Funny. I used to think the same thing." Mako gripped the bars, annoyed by how physically real they felt. Then, suddenly, the bars disappeared.
 "Enter the light," a deep voice said, filling the air.
 "Who?" Duran was at his feet, looking around.
 "I have no idea..." Mako entered the hall, only to see the faces of those in nearby cells watching him- almost greedily. "...but we've got nowhere to go but forward."
 "I'll have to remember that." Duran followed Mako into the light.

 (Author's Note: The following is from Vail's point of view.)
 I've been doing a lot of thinking. I have been able, in the last twelve hours, to figure out the personalities of my companions. Though communication directly between us has been nil to nothing. I don't know much about their past. But I do know that in one way or another, we have all changed in some way since we were 'transformed'.
 It's strange to talk to myself so much. If I ever get out of this body (I have my doubts that I'll survive to do so), I will probably have developed a rather annoying habit of stating and discussing the obvious.
 I often get lonely. I wish that I could make up with JEDI, but I have discovered that we are far too alike for that. We are both proud and stubborn. (Not bad qualities, I might add.)
 I long for my body, for any body to call my own. Having never had to do anything like 'this', I find that it is quite similar to being comatose. You can't feel on your own, can't hear without your host granting you the ability to. Indeed, I can't laugh, can't cry, or express any real emotion. I've been feeling tired and weak very often, but I still have no clue as to why. Occasionally, I feel as if the world is leaving me. At those times I rest.
 It's dark. I am only able to see bits and pieces of the outside world when it occurs to my host to let me do so. I wish that she would let me speak. I just want someone to listen to me. I've tried to communicate with JaggedWing, but he finds it disturbing. I have even tried to contact the others topside, but so far, no luck. It doesn't seem to affect JEDI at all. But after my attempts, I feel drained.
 I have found myself growing stronger. And mentally, this has, believe it or not, been a good experience. I feel that I could handle anything that comes. But it's not me I'm worried about for handling the future. It's JEDI. Whatever I go through, she goes through. If I must meet death, real death, I do not intend to end her life as well.
 I hope that no one has mourned my passing. It would be worry spent on nothing. I don't particularly have a death wish, but if the grave is the only way off of this island, and the time comes when I.....
 Nevermind. Banish the thought. These people were kind enough to call me friends. It's the least I can do to fight to the end, however bloody or glorious. On the other hand, if I am forced to stay in this body forever.... I should say that both parties involved would not fair well. In fact, I believe that we may drive each other to insanity in short order.
 To run like a coward into the cold freedom of death.....
 Never again......
 Never again.....
 I made my promise, so never again.

 Mako spared a glance over his shoulder. Standing by the door now behind them was the same 'bot that had confronted them earlier.
 "The Tribune calls forth Protos. Come."
 The 'bot slowly walked past him, and stood before the light. Bowing its head slightly, it turned to face the two humans. Duran was indignant, but Mako was more than a little taken by the whole turn of events. Brother John had never mentioned this in theology class. Looking into the light, Mako's eyes didn't hurt, but became hazed- unable to distinguish any shapes in the swirling cloud.
 "Yes, my lords?" Protos asked, his voice low.
 "What have you observed of these two?"
 "They are... petty. Selfish. Cruel....Human."
 "Would you speculate on their motives?"
 "Self-preservation."
 "Objection!" Mako spoke up, "What gives him the right to judge me? Or Duran?"
 "We do," the voice spoke softly, as Mako felt himself forced into his seat by an invisible force. "Continue."
 "They care for none, save themselves and their kind," Protos growled, "And even then, they would kill billions just to save a few hundred."
 "Is that such a crime?" Duran looked up, his normally cool features now a deep scowl.
 "Yes," Protos answered.
 "How? How is it a crime to defend one's people?"
 "You commit genocide!"
 "At least," Duran hissed, "We don't capture people against their will and experiment on them. And never once in our history have we entered a conflict without provocation."
 "You murder the innocent!"
 "Silence," the voice spoke, and Duran and Protos both fell silent, as if their very mouths had been closed from the inside.
 "Are we dead or alive?" Mako asked honestly, "Is this Hell? Are we, am I, to be judged for eternity without a chance to defend myself? I demand to know for what crime I am put on trial!"
 "You need not a crime to be judged- you need only exist," the voice spoke, louder than before, "IF you exist."

 Somewhere else entirely-
 "Something's wrong." Jake checked his chronometer. "We should be in our bodies by now... that explosion- unless..."
 "The Tribune calls you. Come."
 Jake immediately recognized the voice. It WAS time. Making sure no one was watching him, Jake nodded to his invisible masters and faded away like he had never even been there. The hour of judgement was fast approaching.

 (Author's note: Okay, this is from JEDI's point of view, and I can only hope that I'm doing it to her liking.)
 I find this far too unreal for my tastes. It's like some twisted fantasy novel in which everyone is bound to his or her fate. One cannot change the future, nor alter the past. One can only long to do so.
 Vail, as far as I can tell, is either going slowly mad or doing some deep soul-searching. I'm guessing on the latter.
 Jag is also rather quiet. We haven't spoken for quite some time. And the path ahead of us twists on endlessly. In my personal opinion, I think that we're lost. But in this case, I think I shall refrain from arguing. I'm much too tired already.

 (Now Vail)
 Oh, happy day!!!! I don't know why, But about a half an hour ago, JEDI began to let me take a peek into our new 'home'. Oh, look! Why, I think it's that wall that we have passed at least three other times! OH FREAKIN' JOY!!!
 I really am much happier now that I have disposed of those dark and dreary thoughts that once plagued me. If I had a face, I'd be smiling! In fact, if I concentrate hard enough, I can imagine just what it felt like. This is one of those times I'm glad I have an imagination. All of the bitterness and maturity I attained when I entered this situation is gone. So I guess that you could say that I'm free!
 Life is good, particularly when you're in denial!!!

 "JEDI.....JEDI?...."
 JEDI heard the voice faintly. She chose to ignore it. But this time there was a slight tap on her shoulder. She snapped out of her state of deep concentration to momentarily address the disturbance.
 "JEDI....You okay?" She looked to her left to see Jag staring at her.
 "You look tired," the male robot said. "Do you want to rest? We need to stop eventually.."
 "We NEED to get out of here," she said, the urgency in her voice hinting on something more.
"What, you claustrophobic?" he asked jokingly.
"No."
Her voice had become cold as ice. Jag decided that she was not one to take insults lightly. "Then what is it?"
"I think we're lost."
"To tell you the truth, I couldn't agree more whole-heartedly."
"What?"
"Nevermind. For now we should sit down, rest, and try to figure out where we are."
"For the second time today we actually agree on something," she said, flopping onto the turf with an exhausted sigh.
"You okay?" JaggedWing said, "You...seem tired."
"Physically, I'm fine. Mentally.....Well...."
"Having someone living in your head is not what I would call easy."
"It really isn't that bad. Only trouble is her snoring keeps me awake at night," she said jokingly.
"Oh really..." Jag looked at her a smile playing on his lips.
"God, I'm starting to crack jokes." She shook her head sadly.
For a few minutes it was silent. Jag looked at JEDI steadily. Finally, he could stand it no longer.
"When you get depressed you don't screw around, do you?"
JEDI continued to stare ahead. Finally, he decided she was talking to Vail. After a few more moments, she shook her head and spoke.
"Vail is....acting rather strangely.."
"How so?"
"She was saying something about talking to the others through their dreams, asking if it was possible. When I told her it was, she began to laugh..."
"Do....do you think she’s losing it?"
She looked ahead for a few more moments, then replied.
"She says 'if you keep on asking stupid questions like that she'll try to contact you again.'"
"Not much of a threat."
She paused for a moment, then smiled a bit and replied, "She says 'when your stuck in someone else’s head you don't exactly have a wide array of threats to make, thank you very much.'"
They looked at each other for a moment and began to laugh. When the last echoes of mirth died away, JEDI looked up, and for the first time since the avalanche, smiled.
"You know," she said, "That you're going to be okay so long as you can still laugh."

 By the middle of the following morning, Architeuthis had built two comlinks. Preliminary examinations showed that they might have a range from .5 kilometers to 1 kilometer. Satisfied that they were as ready as she could make them, she went looking for Beastbot.
 "I've finally finished these little beasts. Are you still interested in helping test them?"
 "Sure. What do you need me to do?"
 "Just take one of the comlinks and walk away from me in any one direction. I accessed an odometer from subspace, so I can keep track of the distance between us. Hypothetically, these things are supposed to have a maximum range of about 1 km, but in reality, it could be a lot less."
 "How many miles is a kilometer?"
 "It's roughly 2/3 of a mile."
 Enforcer overheard them and came over.
 "Comlinks, huh? Good work, Arc. But, Beastbot, you are NOT going to do this test alone. Too dangerous. Mako or some of the aliens may still be out there--and Jake is also missing, now."
 "Oh, that's just GREAT," said Architeuthis, "Can we lose any MORE people?!"
 "I know what you mean," replied Enforcer, "This stopped being fun or funny a LONG time ago. Hey, Washer!"
 "Over here!"
 The big robot came over to them.
 "What's up?"
 "Architeuthis made some comlinks. You and Beastbot take one and walk somewhere."
 "Sure."
 "Talk into it every 20 meters," Architeuthis added.
 "10 meters," said Enforcer.
 Architeuthis would have scowled at him if she'd been able to.
 "Sorry, Arc. I know this is your show, but 10 meters is about the same as 30 feet, and given everything we've been through, well, I'd rather play it safe."
 "No argument there. Good luck, you two."
 Beastbot and Washer started walking.

 Skidz was getting frustrated and discouraged. He and Hitchhiker had climbed down the side of the mountain to look for JEDI. Every now and then his scanners would pick up JEDI's energy signature, but it always dissipated before he could get a lock on it. The fact that JEDI seemed to be MOVING around somewhere only made it more difficult to pinpoint her location.
 Skidz had a comlink built into him, and he had left it off, largely because he did not want Enforcer or anyone else homing in on him and ordering him to return to base before he could find Windchaser.
 Unfortunately, he and Hitchhiker had been down here all night, with nothing to show for their efforts--and he suspected that the folks at the base were probably more than slightly worried about them by now. With a sigh of resignation, he turned his comlink on. He didn't want to deal with Enforcer just now, but he no longer had a choice; he had to let them know he was still alive and well.
 The comlink crackled to life.
 "Beastbot to base. Reporting in."
 "Architeuthis, here. You're now 550 meters from the base. Comlinks functioning smoothly so far."
 The squid had another science project going, it seemed...
 Well, she or Beastbot might be easier to talk to than Enforcer. He decided to call back.
 "Skidz to whoever. Come in, whoever's closest."
 "SKIDZ?! Where are you?! Are you O.K?" It sounded like Washer.
 "Down here, at the bottom of the mountain."
 "Can you be a bit more specific?"
 Skidz looked around. A glint of sunlight reflecting off metal told him that Beastbot and Washer were more or less directly above him.
 "About 50 meters below you. Keep coming straight; you'll see us."
 Beastbot and Washer soon made it down to where Skidz and Hitchhiker were.
 "Man, are we glad to see you guys!" said Washer.
 "What's going on?" demanded Enforcer.
 "We just found Skidz and Hitchhiker!"
 "You what?! Are they OK?"
 "We're fine," said Hitchhiker. "We've just been looking for JEDI."
 "JEDI's dead! She was killed in that avalanche!"
 "Not necessarily," said Skidz. "A human would have been killed, but we're..more than human now. We can take punishment that would kill an ordinary human. We've..all been through so much so far..if any of us could have survived, 'Chaser could. Also, I have been picking up flashes of her energy signature, but I haven't been able to get a lock on her. I'm going to continue looking."
 The comlink was silent while Enforcer and Architeuthis mulled this over.
 "Are you SURE it's JEDI you're picking up? Jake's missing; maybe you're picking him up instead."
 "It's JEDI, I'm positive!"
 Back at the base, Enforcer and Architeuthis thought this over.
 "Part of me wants to order him back here, simply for wandering off without telling anybody," growled Enforcer.
 "But if he's found somebody, and they're hurt...An injury could explain why he's having trouble locking in on them; the signature could just be extremely weak."
 "I know. All right, Skidz. Here's the deal. You and one other person stay down there and look for JEDI. You have twenty-four hours to find her. After that, I want you back up here. There was an explosion in the area, and I really think we ought to investigate it."
 "Yeah, we heard it. Any ideas as to what it was?"
 "Mako said he had a lab in the area. It might have been that."
 "I hope you're wrong, Enforcer. I REALLY hope you're wrong. Because if it was Mako's lab, our chances of becoming human again have just gone up in smoke--literally."
 "I know." Enforcer's voice was uncharacteristically subdued. He knew that the explosion could very well mean that they would end up spending the rest of their lives as robots.
 Skidz understood how he felt..but strangely, he was slowly becoming more and more acclimated to his new form..and mind. A genesis was occurring..where there were once two..there now was one.
 Skidz wasn't sure how to react to this newfound dilemma. Part of him was icy with fear..but another part..hidden..denied..no.
 Skidz pushed the thoughts from his mind..there were more important things to deal with at the moment..lives were at stake.
"But..," the nagging tone chimed in...one that was strangely familar.."What about your own?"
 Finally building the will to force the thoughts aside, he turned to the three expectant bots with him.
 "Hitchhiker, I want you to go back up." He held up a hand when she started to protest. "I know about your quest, but between your vulnerability to cold, and that weird...spell you had, I don't think you're in any shape to stay down here."
 Hitchhiker sighed, knowing he was right.
 "O.K., I'll go back up," she said quietly, sounding resigned.
 "Beastbot, I'd like you to stay with me. If JEDI is injured, she's going to need you."
 "What about her?" Beastbot gestured toward Hitchhiker.
 "I'll be OK, honest. All I need is some rest and warmth."
 "You're SURE about that?"
 "Positive."
 "Well, OK. Just take it really easy. I can't teleport, you know.
 By the way, do you or Washer have a comlink?"
 "No," both answered.
 Beastbot spoke into the prototype Architeuthis had given him.
 "The comlinks are good for at least 600 meters. I'm giving this to Washer and Hitchhiker; Skidz has his own com."
 "Sounds good. Good luck, Beastbot, Skidz. Remember--24 hours only. After that, get up here."
 "Roger."
 Beastbot handed Architeuthis' prototype to Washer and Hitchhiker. They thanked him and began climbing up the mountain toward the base.

 JEDI sat listening to Vail. She had been conversing almost non-stop for the last hour or so. But she had been....different....happy. This made JEDI a bit apprehensive. She had always known Vail to be stern, unfriendly, and rather commanding. But now she was chatting as if she and JEDI had been best friends their entire lives. Something had happened. She decided to find out what.....
 "It's really odd, you know. I've loved animals all my life. Now that I was one, I'll never look at them the same way again. Speaking of which, I wonder where Zip went? He has always liked to go off on his own. Oh well, not to worry! I should think it would be lovely to be able to run and jump like I used to! To be able to speak to others without scaring them to death. Oh well!" She continued the monologue. Unbeknownst to JEDI, she was merely trying to cover up her fear and terror in this situation.
 "Vail?"
 "YES!?!" She practically yelled. She had resting for quite awhile, and was now wide awake.
 "I...want to apologize for getting angry earlier. I--"
 "You know," Vail said in mock severity, "You shouldn't blame yourself for everything. It was my fault, you see. So I am the one to say I am sorry. Shall we call it even?"
 JEDI was silent. Vail was acting almost eccentric. Something was definitely wrong. "Is something bothering you?"
 "What?" Vail’s tone became much less lighthearted. "Why do you say that?"
 "Now let me see... You've been babbling for the last hour, you were killed, trapped in my head. You're going through all the stages of bereavement. First there was depression, then joy..."
 "HUH?!"
 "--and now, you're in denial. It's obvious! You're mourning your own death."
 "WHAT? You think that I'm so self-centered that I'd--"
 "No. You're just mourning the loss of your previous capabilities of communication and such..."
 "That’s ridiculous!"
 "Really?"
 "Yes. I have already gotten over it!"
 "Then why are you still trying to talk with everyone else?"
 "To...um...let them know I'm okay?" Her defense was weak.
 "You're getting lonely....."
 "How-- how would you know?!?"
 "Trust me, I can tell. The way you're yelling, I think JaggedWing can hear you."
 "Oh, you are funny. Ha...."
 "Don't worry, you'll eventually reach the stage of acceptance and serenity. Or was that insanity?"
 "YOU MEAN I MIGHT GO NUTS?!?"
 "If you keep on acting like this, yes."
 "Dang."
 "I could help you."
 "Oh, yeah, and what’s the cure?"
 "Conversation. With other people."
 "What do you think I've been doing for the last twenty-eight hours?"
 "You were unsuccessful because you were doing it wrong."
 "Then how do you do it, oh great psi-doctor?"
 "Listen for once, and maybe you'll learn something......"

"Um, a thought just occurred to me. Mind if I ask you a question?"
JEDI's response was not promising, but not a negative response either.
"Charge on ahead, Vail."
"How in the world can you see?"
"Huh?"
"I'm serious, there is no light in this cave at all. I have been running on color-blind sonar for the last couple of cycles. I really don't know how long a cycle is, exactly, but my internal chronometer is counting in them; now that it has started to work again, I'm betting something between a minute and an hour. The Sirie carried a light source with them or followed scents, but you have avoided some rather sharp rocks and holes recently. How?"
"Oh. I was wondering why you kept purring. I'm not sure. I just kinda do. It is really dark in here, and I can only see a few feet even in my best night vision, but I seem to be doing just fine."
"Oh."
 They walked on a bit more, the cave sloping oddly. JEDI wouldn't notice that she was intact supplying her own light source, and JW% was running on sonar, so he wouldn't see it either. As it turns out, JEDI had made her optics able to glow, supplying light even in the darkest area.
"I'm getting sick of this," JEDI finally said, stopping. "We're lost."
"Yeah. So? We've been lost for some time now."
 So to speak, at least. JW%'s mapping system could take them back to anywhere they had been, but JEDI was leading, and she had taken an odd turn, so they were now in a section she had not explored.
"We need to get back to the surface," JEDI said, "I'm not quite sure exactly how to do it, but I know that I wrote a teleport power. Stand near me, I'm taking us fifty feet straight up."
"WHOA!" JW% said, stepping away from her. "We have no idea if we are directly under the mountain. Fifty feet straight up might still be in rock."
"I doubt it."
"Even so, we'll be great targets in the air. Most likely this teleport thing is a bit draining on you, right?"
"A little."
"We'll both be disorganized, and either stuck in rock, or high in the sky. Now, this might be a dream, but I think I'm going to play it like I would a video game. No unneeded risks. Here, let ME handle the exit."
"What can you do?"
"You set your char up rather powerful, huh? Sloppy way to write. No offense," He quickly amended. "This body is from a role-playing game I set up. We got sloppy with it, and quickly started Power Gaming. I've got powers I don't want to use because they will make life no fun."
"So we're both powerful. So what?"
"I can think of at least two ways to get out of this cave right now. One is to blow a hole in the roof and fly out."
"If you could do that, why haven't you?"
"Be kinda dangerous. Cave in on top of us and all. The other way is to set one of my field generators to project a phase wall field."
"A what?"
"It will make solid matter out of phase with another field I'll produce for a few seconds. Enough time for me to pass through."
"So you can walk through walls?"
"Sure. There are, of course, limitations. It will last only so long, and it will burn out my portable generator, but I could do it."
"Well, then, let's do it!"
"How about if we try something that is LESS reliable on things that might or might not work? Here, feel this wall."
"What about it? It's stone."
"And dirt."
"And dirt. So?"
"Most everything so far has been solid stone. Glassy smooth and sharp, in fact. This is dirt. That means we are near the surface."
"Good. Now I'll teleport us."
"No. Take a deep breath of air." They both inhaled. "What do you smell?"
"Wet cat."
"Yeah, I know, snow melted on our fur. I mean besides us."
"Not much," JEDI said, annoyed.
 JW% let out a sigh. His robot mode carried all the extra sensors that were usually packed on to the beast mode. He had full acuteness in both modes.
"Mud, water, rotting wood, and fresh air. There isn't much of a breeze, but there has to be a cave opening somewhere around here. You can’t stop now, we are probably right near the exit."
They walked on a little way, once in a while blocked by root systems that JW% hacked through with his sabers. When JEDI finally saw light, they had found out they had actually climbed up the inside of a hollow tree.
The blue sky was a very welcome sight, and JW% was simply very welcome to see in color again. The huge tree had an open area before it, and a rock face behind it. The small glen had a small stream running through it, that came from a waterfall that lead further up the mountain.
"Kinda reminds me of where a big treehouse is always built in those luxury-in-nature stories," JW% commented, "Between the trees and the cliff, no one can see this area. Stream gives water." He took a drink. "Soft grass, kinda shady, but still bright, and the caves give a secret exit. I think I like it here."
"Yeah, whatever. Let's find the others. Where would they be? Vail said they were near a ditch area that was easily defended, but we don't know where we are compared to there," JEDI said.
"No respect for the classic, Swiss Family Robinson," JW% sighed again, "Now that we are out of the caves, anyone really trying to find us with scanners should be able to spot us. Our com-lines should work too."
"Good." She paused for a moment. "How do you activate com-lines?"
"Well, either press a button on the device, or I guess you think about the person you want to talk to and just speak. At least, it should work that way," JW% said, "As for me, well, don't tell them I'm still alive."
"Why not? Aren’t you coming with me?"
"Sure I am. I'm just doing it..." He dropped down, transforming. "....with caution. I don't even know if any of them are left alive. I'm going to go to full cloak and keep all my energy signatures as low as possible. Want to try out a new trick, too." He twitched his forepaws and wings, and the air around him started to shimmer and warp until he was invisible.
"How did you do that?"
"Warped the light, and hopefully all other radiation and sensors around my form. Undetectable."
"Aside from your floating eyes and those two dots."
"My audios. I still need to see and hear."
"Whatever. I'm going to find them now."
"I'll be right next to you. You shouldn't notice me, though."
 The only two visible things vanished, it could be he narrowed the field, or it could be he leapt into the air, she couldn't tell.
"Okay. What about the rest of the team?" JEDI started to think about them. Suddenly, she managed to tune in on a signal. It was fading from the range, but it was still readable.
"... know. All ri... ...idz. Here's... deal. You and one other person stay down.... look for JEDI." JEDI's heart skipped a beat. They were looking for her! "...twenty-four hours to find ....that, I want you back up ....explosion .... area, and I really think .... to investigate...." The transfer was longer, and she listened intently to all of it.
JEDI felt almost good about herself. They were looking for her. Now all she had to do was make herself found.
"Follow the signal," JW%'s voice said from nowhere.
"How?"
"Use your... um....that's right, you don't have a visor. Well, Skidz' group is the closest. He is this way." A claw tip appeared and drew an arrow in the mud near the stream. "We seem to have traveled around the mountain about a fourth of the way, I think. Just remember, don't tell them about me, I want to make my own entrance."
"Fine. But I'm going." She jumped into the air and flew in the direction of the arrow... at least until she was within range and could signal them that she was alright.

Small, brightly hued fish made colorful ripples in the icy mountain stream, as Beastbot stalked along its perimeter. Currently, Beastbot was in his animal form, a strange fusion of velociraptor and feline..his senses attuned to maximum efficiency. Nothing...no screech of a bird, no rustle in the thick, verdant shrubbery near the stream..nothing escaped his notice.
And yet...he was having no luck whatsoever locating his missing comrades...he pushed the aching aside, the pain at watching two of his companions seemingly claimed by death...the terror of the inhuman creatures who had, with such ruthlessness..such merciless efficiency, attacked him.
In abject disappointment, he shook his reptilian head...he knew, deep inside, that time was running out...if he couldn't manage to save his missing friends..than they might be lost forever...

She slid silently through the upper canopy, her dark limbs masking the lighter colored areas... a long history of tree climbing reminding the form to move bit by bit, checking each branch and pausing when the quarry looked up... She waited until the raptor-cat walked sadly by underneath, then ever so carefully followed, moving so carefully that the branches didn't even shake...
Beastbot walked back to the 'camp'. One of the others had started a fire, and the rest of the group looked up as he walked in.
"Any luck?" Enforcer asked.
Beasbot sighed. "No."
The rest of search party slowly arrived, all negative in their quarry.
However, the quarry was about to appear.
"You know," a accented female voice suddenly commented from the shadows, "IF you guys want to find me, you're going to have to learn to that sometimes what you're searching for is not miles away..." JEDI walked out of the shadows. "....but right here."
They stared at her for a moment, jaws agape.
"Hello. I hate to dump myself on you again, but Vail managed to get herself dumped in my head, and I'd like to give her her body back, if you don't mind... then I'll leave if you don't want me."
 A tiny part of her was certain they'd agree to that, how could anyone want HER around? But practice kept the emotion from even reaching Vail, much less her face.
"Still the strong and silent type?" Skidz asked, in mock seriousness, certain her response would be the same as always.
"What can I say? I watched Miclitock alot."
"Who?" Hitchhiker asked.
"John Wayne movie?"
"Oh. Was that... a joke?"
JEDI paused, then nodded ever so slightly. "Yes."
"Well... then I guess there’s only one thing to do...," Skidplates said, and walked slowly up to JEDI, who tensed slightly, unsure of what to expect. She got quite a shock. Skidz suddenly gave her a bear hug, then threw his arm over her shoulder and led her back to the fire. And slowly, JEDI's mental wall began to relax as the others laughed and joked around her... and Vail discovered, much to her joy, that she could now talk to others...
JW% watched as the others led JEDI into the group, and smiled a little as he watched her relax ever so slightly. "Careful JEDI," he whispered, "You're starting to smile..."

For one of the first times in ages that he could recall, Skidplates was at peace....his spark had proven true to him..had guided him through thick and thin..and proven true.
An old friend, seemingly lost forever, to the cruelties of the harsh world which they inhabited...had returned to the fold...and she seemed more true..more herself..than she had since...since the entire, deadly chain of events had first begun.
A gentle warmth burned within Skidplates' spark, a heat echoed by the flickering of the campfire's reddish flame.
He recalled but a few hours before..how he'd been driven nearly to the edge with guilt...frustration..and how the light had..at the darkest hour, cut through..
The darkest hour..the phrase struck a chord of remembrance in Skidplates...a past..experience? He felt a momentary chill..but..no. "My past holds no such memories...or does it?"
"Why..truly, why, were we created?" he pondered briefly. "You know that..we both do..," growled the feeble tones..the voice of the past. A voice almost forgotten, as neuron and data meshed..as a new mind, greater than its component's parts, was formed.
"Duran...but why?" the "youth" responded..or what was left of him, what was still whole..he reflected momentarily, that he had hardly remembered his eighteenth birthday, but a few days prior..
Then again, he had been in a desperate struggle for his life, against ruthless, bloodthirsty foes at that point...
Slowly, his equilibrium unsettled, he shook his feline head back and forth, before silently rising to his feet. Flexing his aching servomotors with a characteristic hiss, Skidplates eyed the glimmering, stark white moon above. A perfect sphere, it hung boldly against the inky canvas of night.
The placid, soothing light of the moon, and the gleaming diamond swath of the stars now existed in harsh juxtaposition with the conflict that had, so recently, embroiled this island..and now, lay concealed..beneath the surface. Skidplates gazed again at the shimmering sphere suspended in the skies...and thought of those who had fallen..those who had returned..and those, who he knew deep within, were destined to die.
"Light...," he whispered, his tone barely audible.."But what..what of the darkest hour?

"What charge do you bring against these two?"
"Corruption, Tribune."
"Continue, then."
"As you wish," Jake threw Duran a smile before continung, "I was created with a blank mind. Thus, when I went with these two- I imprinted on their beliefs and actions. They wasted no time molding me in their own image."
Mako gritted his teeth, fighting his natural urge to respond to the accusation. Beside him, Duran had long given up trying to speak, as no words had left his lips since the Tribune forcibly silenced him.
"My beast mode was repressed, and my hate of all things alien and foreign was fostered to the point of unconscious self-loathing."
"We see," the voice interrupted, "and we have heard enough."
Jake left immediately, to stand by Protos.
"You may speak, now," the voice added, as Duran felt a strange force release him.
"Who are you?" Mako said, as he slammed his fist on the desk before him. "What are you?"
"You... do not know us. You never will."
"How are you doing this?" Duran took his turn, "I... am not real. None of this is."
"You are real, because we wish you to be. Just as easily, your companion may not exist- if we wish it to be so. Reality is what WE perceive it to be."
"If you're so powerful, why are WE here?"
"You are here."
"What?"
"You are one in the same- the same person of different realities. One. They all are."
"You still haven't explained why you took us here," replied Duran.
"The realities have never crossed. I wished it so- and it was. I was... curious."
"...and why am I here, then?" Mako spoke for both his selves.
"You... are different from the others. A capacity for action, coupled with a sense of... pride.... determination... you are, among the realities, an anomaly. One that must be excised."
"And the others- also anomalies, I presume?"
"Yes. They simply await judgement before the Tribune."
"...So this was just for your amusement, and to prove our 'guilt'?"
"We had to be assured of it. When you are gone- I shall undo all that has been done. Restore uniformity to the realities."
"And we just die, right?" Duran stood up. "We just go quietly into the darkness?"
"No. Those who die existed. You will not."
Mako saw two forms come up from behind and seize Duran by the shoulders, lifting him off his feet. Protos held him firmly- and, as Mako looked into the light above, he could see only haze- a cloud of nothing: condemning HIM to nonexistence!
"I... I don't believe this!" he growled, as Jake similarly took him by the shoulders and lifted him of his feet. Above, the light grew in intensity.
"My friend," Duran's free hand took Mako by the shirt, "I will not go out like this! I will not be judged! Take care of my family for me. Where I go- there is no return."
Then, Duran screamed. His psi implant glowed slightly, and his form was limp.
"What," Protos shook the body slightly, "WHAT?!"
"We will not be judged!" Mako suddenly felt power flow through his veins, and Jake was thrown back. "Tribune! I WILL see the face of my executioner!"
"No!" Tribune lashed out, throwing Mako back. But he resisted, and lept off his feet, flying into the light.
"Yes," Mako felt his skin burn as another wave of energy hit him, "I will not give up like the others! Face me!"
"No. You cannot approach the Tribune!" Another wave hit Mako, and he felt his whole body aflame. Pain- overwhelming pain flooded his body, but... ever closer- he could make out forms in the light. Faint... but there!
"God... give me strength!" Mako prayed, for the first time in years.
"No. Stay back!" Mako felt his eyes burn- and his vision was gone. Falling back slightly, he lost feeling in his arms.
"No....please, no, I... I won't give up!" Mako redoubled his will, and, blind, drove forward.
"You cannot see us! Stay back!"
"No."
His left arm was gone. At some point, it simply burned away. Reaching up with his only good arm, Mako pushed forward, forcing his broken body- it was like walking through molasses- with every step forward, it became harder to move. He couldn't even see if his goal was near- only pain and a fate worse than death.
And then... something. His fingers tingled and warmth enveloped his body. Racing along every nerve, up into every synapse.
And he could see.

At Camp, Dawn:
The orange-reddish light of day perked over the slanted horizon, casting small beams of light into the open field. Enforcer sat in the tall grass, looking at some birds flying gracefully above them. All the other bots were strewn about, all asleep. Enforcer stood up and started walking towards the woods, away from every one. He felt like getting a little time on his own, something that hadn't happened in awhile. As he shifted into his busted ARGO mode, white smoke poured out of the radiator. The engine sputtered to life, rumbling quietly in the night. Enforcer shifted himself into low gear, and headed towards the woods.
The fire back at camp glowed brightly, flickering sparks into the dark sky. Matrix was appointed fire tender. He sat with a small pile of timber next to his, throwing a piece on whenever it started to die down. Matrix had had a rough night with no sleep. He wondered if they would ever be human again.
The brush was smashed by the Conquest's heavy tracks. Enforcer wandered here and there, crossing a small stream. A log stood in his way, grinning its dark smile. Enforcer drove towards it, crawling over the fallen tree. He saw a ditch that looked challenging, a sort of pit.
Might as well try that, he thought, rolling over some bushes. He drove, face-down, in the ditch, scooping up mud with the front end. Once he got straightened out, he tried climbing out of it. The tracks spun wildly, while the pit turned more mushy. Enforcer felt his left wheels give out, sunk in the mud. The sky grew farther back. Enforcer panicked, pushing his speed to the max, but the ground was already sinking. Soon enough the pit gave out, revealing a cavern filled with water.
"A sink hole!" Enforcer whispered. The giant ARGO floated in the water. "How can I get outya here!?" "Help!" Enforcer yelled.

JEDI jerked up. She stretched and yawned, making Matrix stare strangely at her.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
"Bad dream, I guess... thought I saw Enforcer in a sink hole but he's... not here." JEDI broke off and looked around... then suddenly shot to her feet and raced off. "Back with the group for ONE night..." she muttered. Ahead, a fallen tree presented itself as a low perch. She hopped up and glanced around...
"Tree, tree, rock, tree, clearing, Enforcer stuck in a sink hole, tree, tree... wait a sec... ENFORCER!!! GUYS!! GET YOUR REAR ENDS OVER HERE!! ENFORCER'S TRAPPED!!!"
 Enforcer was half skittered down the pit, trying to stay on dry land... She got to where the sink hole began... and was quickly covered in goo as Enforcer tried his treads again. She stopped short, dropped her shoulders and stared ahead with a 'it WOULD happen, wouldn't it?' look on her face. "Thanks. Hold on... can you transform? If you can, we can pull you out easier..."

JW% lay in the branches of one of the taller trees. He had found that he could only hold his pure invisibility for so long before he felt his generators burn out. So he had dropped it and settled for a simpler energy emissions reduction.
He had, of course, lied to JEDI. He had not followed her directly. He had found time to explore and check on other errands. He had kept an eye on her, and the rest of the group for the scant megacycles they had been together, but he hadn't been with them at all times.
He had wondered just what JEDI was up to when she ran off like that, and when he heard the cry about Enforcer, he felt he had to help.
For a moment he wondered if he should stay hidden. He examined his reasoning for hiding from them. He couldn't find any true logic to it, just an urge that had taken him.
JEDI rushed to the aid of Enforcer, and he, of course, followed. Matrix had stayed behind in camp, along with the others, who seemed to be sleeping. JW% wondered about that. He hadn't felt sleepy for days now. He had catnapped when things were getting boring, but he felt that he should be sleeping more. Was he loosing his humanity? No that was silly, he was just dreaming.
JEDI asked if Enforcer could transform. That wouldn't do any good at all. JW% glided down and landed on Enforcer's drivers seat.
"Don't transform, you should be able to float as long as your pump keeps working," JW% said.
"My pump is getting clogged with mud!" Enforcer said, his voice not quite panicked.
"We need some kind of rope," JEDI suggested, "We could pull him out safely..."
"We don't have rope, we don't need it," JW% snapped, "You can fly, I've seen you. Fly over here and help me pull." JW%'s clawed feet gripped Enforcer's seat, and he exerted force in the form of negative gravity waves.
"I don't fly like that. I glide. I take air currents."
"Your wings aren't big enough to hold you up," JW% managed through the strain. Enforcer had stopped sinking, but the mud had too much suction to pull him out quickly. "You must have some kind of anti-gravity or jet propulsion. Now, give me a hand!"
JEDI jumped the short distance from the edge of the sinkhole to Enforcer's frame.
"HEY! Get off!" Enforcer shouted, as JW% lost his grip and JEDI's extra weight caused him to sink further into the mire.
"Okay, Grab a hold and pull," JW% said, once more taking hold. His gravity field once more applied itself, and JEDI gripped firmly and started to flap her shoulder-mounted wings.
The wings, in truth, did NOT give the lift. JW% wasn't exactly sure what did, but something was, and a sickly slurping sound was heard as Enforcer started to rise.
They didn't notice that the rest of the group had been roused by Matrix and was standing there, watching them. The two of them, while not managing to lift Enforcer into the air, did manage to pull him to the edge of the sink hole, and just a little further for safety.
"Thanks, JEDI. And thanks... Jag? Jag, is that you?" Enforcer said, when he was on solid ground and transformed again.
The small crowd gave their reaction with gasps and "I thought he was dead" comments. JW% hid his face and muttered something about staying hidden.
"Yeah, he's alive. He should probably be the one to tell you what happened." JEDI said, and JW% gave her a dark look. "As for me, I need to clean this mud off."

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